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King Street Station Ceiling Uncovered

Acoustic tile drop ceiling covering original plaster ceiling.

Original elaborate plaster ceiling revealed.

Last week a crew of six persons worked at night to remove 1,600 suspended ceiling tiles in the main waiting room of the historic King Street Station. With the acoustical tiles gone, the original, ornate plaster ceiling that graces the main waiting room of the historic King Street Station is now uncovered and open to public view. 

The tiles were installed in 1963 to “modernize” the station. In addition to covering the ceiling, marble panels and plaster ornamentation were removed from the walls, and historic light fixtures were taken down to make way for plastic laminate wall covering and fluorescent lights. The ceiling’s old fluorescent light fixtures remain as interim lighting. Ceiling restoration work and historic lighting will be part of a future phase when funding is available.

The King Street Station, located on Second Avenue and King Street in downtown Seattle, was built in 1906 by Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway. The facility presently serves Amtrak trains, Sounder commuter rail and Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach. The Seattle Department of Transportation is restoring the building to serve as a major transportation  hub.